Consumer-advocate blog Consumerist is always looking to help you keep tabs on Big Brother and any of your personal information He's tracking. Toward that end, their comprehensive list of online background-checking tools is worth a look.

Now you can know what Big Brother knows about you and get access to the same dirt everyone from your boss, landlord, insurance agent, to your favorite casino has on you. Here is a comprehensive list of websites and phone numbers for most of the "specialty" consumer reports, like your employment, rental, and check writing history. Be sure to check them out and correct any errors, before a crisis hits.

Their list covers the gamut of online info checkers, from employment and tenant history to insurance claims, credit reports, check-writing histories, prescription drug histories, and more—and most of the services appear to allow consumers to run a free report on their own information. If you've gone down the background-check road in the past, let's hear what you used—and what you discovered—in the comments.